Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE increase in number of people with mental health problems in the country has been cited as a major cause of escalating incidences of violence as well as the number of people committing suicide.
According to Director of Curative Services in the Ministry of Health Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Dr Omary Ubuguyu, some mental problems go direct proportionally with acts of anger and negative attitudes towards family members and those outside their families.
Incidences of domestic violence continue increasing countrywide with the recent one occurring in Sumbawanga, Rukwa Region where a petty trader identified as Chacha Nyangoso chopped off the ears of his girlfriend, Doricas Richard (23) for jealousy. Mr Nyangoso, who owns a butchery in Sumbawanga Municipality, is alleged to have fled with both the ears that he chopped off from his girlfriend, who resides at Bible area within the Municipality.
At the weekend, Rukwa Regional Commissioner Joseph Mkirikiti directed the Regional Police Commander, Mashenene Mayila to arrest the suspect so that he can face the full wrath of the law. During an interview, Dr Ubuguyu said the family was an institution that needed collaboration between two spouses and problems in the family ought to be solved via dialogue between two members in order to control mental disorders.
“Someone who is not mentally stable is likely to suffer from mental illness and cannot be able to control temper and feelings to look at the impact on whatever decision is made,” said Dr Ubuguyu. However, Dr Ubuguyu asked parents and guardians to avoid unnecessary anger in front of their children as it was hurting them, whenever they see their parents fighting thus inheriting the habits as the best solution for solving family wrangles.
Through the ministry, Dr Ubuguyu said, the government had deployed national health coordinators in every region and district authorities and at all health facilities to reduce mental health problems in order to reduce violence. A Psychiatrist at Mirembe Hospital in Dodoma, Dr Innocent Mwombeki said some of the symptoms of mental illness include behavioral change, getting a short temper as well hearing voices of people who are not seen.
“All such symptoms lead to someone ending up getting mental disorders and this illness can easily be treated by getting medication as well as seeking medical advice from psychologists,” he said.
Dr Mwombeki added that already, the research department had been established and that research had been conducted to 180 people drawn from different regions out of which 32 percent were found to have symptoms of mental illness, the majority of them (10 percent), caused by excessive alcohol drinking.
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